The Green Bay Packers announced on Friday that defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt has been placed on the injured reserve, where he’s expected to spend the remainder of the 2025 season. Wyatt has been the team’s starting under tackle this year, a role that Kenny Clark frequently played in 2024 with T.J. Slaton filling in as the starting nose tackle. Wyatt went down with an ankle injury against the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving, which the Packers’ staff has talked about as a season-ender.
With Wyatt off
the 53-man roster, this now gives the Packers an open roster spot to play with. Depending on the health of receiver Jayden Reed, who has been on the injured reserve since his Week 2 collarbone injury against the Washington Commanders, it could be Reed to come up to the active roster. Green Bay has one more week to decide whether or not to move Reed up to the 53-man roster, otherwise, he will revert to the injured reserve for the remainder of the year. The staff has said that while Reed is able to practice with the team, he has not been fully cleared by the team doctors for action in a game, yet.
Without Wyatt, here’s what the Packers’ defensive tackle room looks like to end 2025:
- Karl Brooks should start at the under tackle position with Warren Brinson, originally believed to be a nose tackle candidate, backing him up.
- At nose tackle, the starter will be Colby Wooden, who might have to play some under tackle down the stretch, with Nazir Stackhouse and the recently-signed Jordon Riley backing him up.
- Defensive end Lukas Van Ness frequently steals some under tackle reps in “Cheetah” packages, when the team plays three defensive ends, when he’s healthy. With that being said, Van Ness has already been ruled out for Sunday, has stated that he’s still in the rehab process for his foot injury and will miss back-to-back games after playing a handful of snaps against the Minnesota Vikings after missing a month of action. Until then, assume that Micah Parsons will be standing up over the center in these Cheetah looks.
Wyatt will return to Green Bay in 2026 on his fifth-year option, which carries a cap charge close to $13 million. If the Packers need to create cap space next year, don’t be surprised if Wyatt, who will be 28 years old next season, is extended to bring that number down on Green Bay’s cap sheet.
